Archives for January 2016

Baby, it’s cold outside! With snow on the ground, all I can daydream about is my recent trip to warm Porto, Portugal for my birthday. I have been waiting for the right time to share my food adventures. When The Recipe Redux theme was trying a new ingredient this month, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Let me introduce to a warm and friendly city, Porto, a coastal city in Northwest Portugal, that is known for it’s Port wine. Vineyards line the river, but I wasn’t expecting the other amazing food that awaited me. If you are ever in Porto, I highly recommend the Taste Porto Food Tours. You basically spend 3.5 hours stuffing your face full of fabulous food. One of the highlights of the tour was the open market where I discovered the shredded kale the locals use in soups, the beautiful grapes, and the FIGS! Our guide bought us some dried figs dusted in powdered sugar and dried figs stuffed with walnuts. Never have I tasted such delicious figs!

Now that I have your full attention in getting to know Porto, you may be shocked to discover that I have never cooked a thing with figs. My experience with figs before Porto was a fig newton from childhood where I felt like I was eating ants and never touched another one. After eating figs in Porto, I can’t stop thinking about them and looking for them. In my location, they just aren’t pretty right now. How simple are figs and walnuts?!!! It really is a perfect combination.

Let’s “fig”ure out why you should add figs to your diet?

They have soluble and insoluble fiber – 5 grams total for 3-5 figs.

They add sweetness without adding sugar.

You get magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, and antioxidants when you add figs to your diet.

I am taking 2016 by storm! I am working to step outside my comfort zone and do new things. I am in an organization frenzy with everything lately. Cleaning house at home and on my blog are becoming top priorities. Why does that matter to you? In effort to do this, I have updated my free in-store and media kit, Clean Start for your Grocery Cart, for dietitians from 2 years ago. It was quite popular, but it needed an upgrade. Presentation is EVERYTHING, especially when talking about food! Don’t hesitate to download the 2016 Clean Start Kit!

Are you ready for the bonus?!!!! This ready for you 2016 Food Calendar with all your food months and days needed for the next 3 months. You can plan your weeks accordingly!

Happy New Year! 2016 is going to be an awesome year! It’s no surprise to anyone that weight loss and health are at the top of most New Year’s Resolutions. Weight loss should not be about diets or deprivation. It should be about making better choices and small changes that improve quality of life.

New Years is a time for celebration, and you may have some leftover champagne in your fridge. Don’t throw it out! You can use it in this recipe filled with fruit! Packed with Vitamin C, these fruitmosas are the perfect way to kick off 2016!